Fin Whale stranded in Baltimore harbour
A fin whale, estimated to be up to 50ft long, was still stranded against the pier wall in Baltimore Harbour early this afternoon (Tuesday).
Experts who are monitoring the situation in Baltimore are not optimistic that the whale can be saved.
On the News at One on RTÉ Radio this lunchtime, Mr Pádraig Whooley, sightings co-ordinator with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, said that the whale was most likely sick or distressed before becoming stranded in Baltimore harbour and that the prognosis in these situation is never good.
Mr Whooley said that when whales or dolphins end up in strange situations like this it is usually as a result of them being sick and in a weakened condition. He added that the whale was probably in a very poor condition when it entered Baltimore harbour anyway, and the prognosis when great whales strand in situations like this is never good.
Mr Whooley went on to say that they had thought of euthanising the whale humanely but because it was so large this presented a problem. Mr Whooley said it was difficult for onlookers to understand why the experts weren’t doing more to rescue this whale, but he believed that towing it out to sea was only delaying what was almost certainly going to be the whale’s demise.
Mr Whooley said a full post-mortem would have to be carried out to see what caused the whale to be in so weak or sick a state.
